Rumor: Are These the New STAR WARS EPISODE VII Stormtrooper Helmets?

Ah man. I don’t share J.J. Abrams’ extreme distaste for spoilers, but it’s hard not to sympathize with him as he tries to make Star Wars: Episode VIIin the hyper-spoiler digital age. Granted, the leaks so far haven’t been as bad as they could have been, but the mystery box has at least a few scratches on it.

As his Star Wars film gears up to resume shooting again (after a two week hiatus to accommodate Harrison Ford his broken leg) more details and leaks like the following are bound to come out. This morning we have a look at what could very possibly be a redesigned Stormtrooper helmet from the film. I tend to believe there’s a chance of this being real for several reasons. For one, Abrams is going to want to slightly rejigger the look of at least a few things to make the world his own. Also, this film takes place 30 years after Return of the Jedi and it makes sense that the Empire would refurbish their equipment somewhat. Hit the jump for the potential Star Wars Episode 7 stormtrooper helmets and, if you consider a design leak a spoiler, spoilers ahead!

The folks over at Indie Revolver have the potential designs. One of them is an expansion/refinement of the original design, and the other appears to be a modification that they speculate stems the Snowtroopers from The Empire Strikes Back.

After Indie Revolver posted the above pics, the RPF chimed in with what appears to be a prop from the set that matches the designs exactly.

What do you think? Are these the real deal? If so, do you like them? I’m the definition of neutral on this one. I just want the movie to be good since, at some point in the future, I’m going to spend two hours and change watching it.